Category: Fishing report

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Lake Michigan Salmon Fishing Report 9/25/2017 Hello all thank you for reading my reports. Join us in Milwaukee! To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it fast!

How
The fishing was good last weekend. We are finding colder water and schools of baitfish in 30 to 100 feet of water The temp break was down 25 feet to 47 degrees. Chinook numbers were down this last weekend with some five to seven pound Lake Trout picking up the slack. Lakers were active on the bottom in 90 feet of water. Coho are still coming on flasher flies on the wire divers 3 set 130 feet on the line counter. Brown trout were solid on 2,3,4,5,6 and 8 color lead core on boards with regular size Vulcan spoons. The OL Sherbet color was best all season. Chins went for Vulcan spoons in blue/silver or green/silver. Downriggers on the bottom with size 0 dodgers and Spin n Glows are taking the Lakers. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has also been good on the lead cores for exciting Rainbows. I hope this helps.

Lake Trout action was a big part of our catch all week on magnum spoons 100 to 130 down or Spin n glows.

Brown Trout action was hot on small spoons on lead core.

Rainbow Trout were slow hitting Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver spoons in the top 40 feet.

Coho have slowed down most of them came 70 down on Magnum Reapers Fish N Chips spoons or flasher flies.

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Lake Michigan Salmon Fishing Report 9/6/2017 Hello all thank you for reading my reports. Zach Britten joins a long list of happy anglers with a humongous Chinook weighing in at 25 pounds 2 ounce and 38.25 inches. Join us in Milwaukee! To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it fast!

How
The fishing Was good all week We are finding pockets of colder water and schools of baitfish in 100 to 180 feet of water. The temp break was down 80 feet to 51 degrees. A east to west troll worked best for us. The currents have been strong at times so watch your Depth Raider or downrigger cables. The blow back on your weights will tell you what’s going on down there. Chinook numbers were up this last week with some large Lake Trout also active 120 down. The big surprise was huge Coho. We haven’t seen good numbers on this size Coho for a number of years. Chinooks went for Magnum Reaper spoons in blue/silver or green/silver. White or green Howie’s flies also working well run behind a white flasher. The big 20 pounds plus Chinooks were again part of the catch. Wire divers 3 set with 200 feet of line out was the ticket for Coho. We also had some excellent days fishing them in the warm water with spoons or flies. Downriggers on the bottom with size 0 dodgers and Spin n Glows are taking the Lakers. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has also been good on the lead cores for exciting Rainbows. I hope this helps. Slide Diver are producing with #3 silver J plugs set at 2 with small ring. Run them 70 feet of line out 70 behind the diver .

Lake Trout action was a big part of our catch all week on magnum spoons 100 to 130 down.

Brown Trout action was just ok on the bottom small spoons. One here and there.

Rainbow Trout were slow hitting Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver spoons in the top 40 feet.

Coho caused a lot of excitement and became a regular part of the catch. Most of them came 80 down on Magnum Reapers Fish N Chips spoons.

Speed
For all fish speed has been very critical with the warmer 72 degree water. The temp break to 52 is down 75 feet. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed and temp at the ball. The boat speed of 2.2 to 2.6 has been best. The faster speed triggered the Chinook action.

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Lake Michigan Salmon Fishing Report 8/21/2017 It was a special fishing day for Master Adam Schreiber. He boated this beautiful Lake Trout that weighed in at 11 pounds 15 ounces. This was an experience he will remember for a lifetime. Congratulations Adam hope to see you again next season. Join us in Milwaukee! To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it fast!

How
The fishing Was good all week We are finding pockets of colder water and schools of baitfish in 100 to 180 feet of water. The temp break was down 70 feet to 51 degrees. A south to north troll worked best for us. The currents have been strong at times so watch your Depth Raider or downrigger cables. The blow back on your weights will tell you what’s going on down there. Chinook numbers were up this last week with some large Lake Trout also active 120 down. Chinooks went for Magnum Reaper spoons in blue/silver or green/silver. White or green Howie’s flies also working well run behind a white flasher. The big 20 pounds plus Chinooks were again part of the catch. Wire divers 3 set with 200 feet of line out was the ticket. We also had some excellent days fishing them in the warm water with spoons or flies. Downriggers on the bottom with size 0 dodgers and Spin n Glows are taking the Lakers. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has also been good on the lead cores for exciting Rainbows. I hope this helps. Slide Diver are producing with #3 silver J plugs set at 2 with small ring. Run them 70 feet of line out 70 behind the diver .

Lake Trout action was a big part of our catch all week on magnum spoons 100 to 130 down.

Brown Trout action was just ok on the bottom small spoons. One here and there.

Rainbow Trout were slow hitting Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver spoons in the top 40 feet.

Speed
For all fish speed has been very critical with the warmer 72 degree water. The temp break to 52 is down 70 feet. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed and temp at the ball. The boat speed of 2.0 to 2.2 has been best. The faster speed triggered the Chinook action.

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Lake Michigan Salmon Fishing Report 8/14/2017! Austin Lamb of Stevens Point triumphed over this 38.5 inch that weighed in at 24.6 pounds. Congratulations Austin hope to see you again next season. Join us in Milwaukee! To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it fast!

How
When you find them stay on them. The fishing is improving. We are finding pockets of colder water and schools of baitfish in 100 to 180 feet of water. When you pick up a fish head back over that area as you will likely find more action in that spot. Chinook numbers were up the last two days with some large Lake Trout also active on the bottom. We have good days and difficult days. Chinooks went for Magnum Reaper spoons in blue/silver or green/silver. White or green Howie’s flies also working well run behind a white flasher. The big 20 pounds plus Chinooks are more frequent part of the catch. We had some excellent days fishing them in the warm water with spoons or flies. Downriggers on the bottom with size 0 dodgers and Spin n Glows are taking the Lakers. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has also been good on the lead cores for exciting Rainbows. I hope this helps. Slide Diver are producing with #3 silver J plugs set at 2 with small ring. Run them 70 feet of line out 70 behind the diver .

Lake Trout action was some what improved all week on magnum spoons on the bottom.

Brown Trout action was just ok on the bottom small spoons. One here and there.

Rainbow Trout were hitting Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver spoons in the top 40 feet.

Speed
For all fish speed has been very critical with the warmer 68 degree water. The temp break to 55 is down 100 feet. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed and temp at the ball. The boat speed of 2.0 to 2.2 has been best. The faster speed triggered the Chinook action.

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Lake Michigan Salmon Fishing Report 8/09/2017! Join us in Milwaukee! To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it fast!

How
The fishing is improving. We are finding pockets of colder water and schools of baitfish in 80 to 140 feet of water. When you pick up a fish head back over that area as you will likely find more action in that spot. Chinook numbers were up the last two days with some large Lake Trout also active on the bottom. We have good days and difficult days. Chinooks went for Magnum Reaper spoons in blue/silver or green/silver. White or green Howie’s flies also working well run behind a white flasher. The big 20 pounds plus Chinooks are more frequent part of the catch. We had some excellent days fishing them in the warm water with spoons or flies. Downriggers on the bottom with size 0 dodgers and Spin n Glows are taking the Lakers. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has also been good on the lead cores for exciting Rainbows. I hope this helps. Slide Diver are producing with #3 silver J plugs set at 2 with small ring. Run them 70 feet of line out 70 behind the diver .

Lake Trout action was some what improved all week on magnum spoons on the bottom.

Brown Trout action was just ok on the bottom small spoons. One here and there.

Rainbow Trout were hitting Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver spoons in the top 40 feet.

Speed
For all fish speed has been very critical with the warmer 68 degree water. The temp break to 55 is down 100 feet. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed and temp at the ball. The boat speed of 2.0 to 2.2 has been best. The faster speed triggered the Chinook action.

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Lake Michigan Salmon Fishing Report 7/24/2017! Join us in Milwaukee! To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it fast!

How
Mixed bag all week. Hot and cold action this past week has lead to inconsistent catches. We still had lots of fun. Chinooks and Coho numbers were down the last two days with Lake Trout picking up the slack. We have good days and difficult days. Chinooks went for Magnum Reaper Peacock spoons in blue/silver. White or green Howie’s flies also working well run behind a white flasher. The big Chinooks are a guess however we had some excellent days fishing them in the warm water with spoons or flies. Downriggers on the bottom with size 0 dodgers and Spin n Glows are taking the Lakers. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has also been good on the lead cores for exciting Rainbows. I hope this helps. Slide Diver are producing with #3 silver J plugs set at 2 with small ring. Run them 70 feet of line out 70 behind the diver .

Lake Trout action was some what improved all week on magnum spoons on the bottom.

Brown Trout action was just ok on 2 color lead core with small spoons. One here and there.

Rainbow Trout were hitting Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver spoons in the top 40 feet.

Speed
For all fish speed has been very critical with the warmer 68 degree water. The temp break to 53 is down 100 feet. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed and temp at the ball. The boat speed of 2.0 to 2.2 has been best. The faster speed triggered the Chinook action.

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Coho and Chinook Report 6/29/2017! Join us in Milwaukee! To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it fast!

How
Mixed bag all week. Very inconsistent, still lots of fun. Chinooks and Coho have been playing their games. We have good days and difficult days. Chinooks went for Magnum Reaper Peacock spoons in blue/silver. White or green Howie’s flies also working well run behind a white flasher. The big Chinooks are active 90 down on downriggers. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has also been good on the downriggers. Run them 50 feet behind the ball 55 feet down to the bottom. Six inch flashers or dodgers with green or blue Howie’s peanut flies have been my go to bait for Coho. Tie your flies 16 inches on 6 inch dodgers, 20 inches for 6 inch flashers. All orange dodgers and flashers. I hope this helps. Slide Diver are producing with flies set at 2 small ring 60 feet of line out.

Lake Trout action was okay all week on magnum spoons 8 color lead was best.

Brown Trout action was just ok on 2 color lead core with small spoons. One here and there.

Rainbow Trout were hitting Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver spoons in the top 15 feet.

Speed
For all fish speed has been very critical with the warmer 60 degree water. The temp break to 53 is down 50 feet. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed and temp at the ball. The boat speed of 2.0 to 2.2 has been best. The faster speed triggered the Chinook action.

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
The lake is warming and a thermo cline is setting up. The surface action has slowed and the temperature break is at 35 feet to 50 degrees. Rainbow Trout action has been best in the warmer water just above the break in sizes of 4 to 14 pounds.

All our action on Rainbows has been on Reaper Magnum Fish N Chip Silver spoons presented on 5 color leadcore or Slide Divers with 60 foot leads set to #1 with 35 feet of line out. 80 to 120 feet of water has been best with depths of 100 to 150 feet later in the day.

We have had some issues with wind and waves the last week and I had to cancel some trips. However when we could get out to the deeper 70-150 water action has been great.

Chinooks Coho are at or below the break from 20 to 45 feet down. We are still getting Coho on 6-inch flashers or OO dodgers with Howie peanut, small hair cut or Mylar flies tied 12 inches long. The Coho are steady with green or blue flies.

Reaper Magnum Fish N Chip, Peacock and Vulcan Magnum Silver Lizard, Silver Sky spoons on the downriggers are taking Lake Trout 8 to 15 pounds 45 to 65 down eighty feet behind the ball. The only place you will find Reaper and Vulcan spoons is on their web site at http://www.badgertackle.com The wind has brought the temperatures near shore is up to 61 degrees on the surface and that action in has slowed. Start your trip in 70 feet of water and fish out to deeper water. Look for 52-degree or colder water. Our best presentations are planer boards with 4, 5, 8, or 10 color lead core and downriggers 30 to 65 feet down. Slide Divers are also producing set to #3 with 40 feet of line out. Our best speed was 1.7 to 2.0 mph. Have a great fishing season. Let’s go fishing!! Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Coho and Chinook Report 5/14/2017 Salmon are here! Join us in Milwaukee! To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it fast! Great fishing morning for the Madison graduation party ! We had a great time.

How
It was mostly a spoon bite with a few fish on flies. The pattern hasn’t changed. A mixed bag of Coho, Chinooks, Browns and Lake Trout are filling the box with limits possible. The big Chinooks are also in. Chinook are coming on small or magnum size spoons. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has been hot on the downriggers. Run them 50 feet behind the ball 15 feet down to the bottom. Six inch flashers or dodgers with green or blue Howie’s peanut flies also caught fish. Tie your flies 14.5 inches on 6 inch dodgers, 24 inches for 6 inch flashers. Use all orange dodgers and flashers. I hope this helps. Slide Diver are producing with flies set at 3 no ring 35 feet of line out.

Lake Trout action was great today they are 30-40 down.

Speed
For all fish speed has been very critical with the warmer 51 degree water. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed at the ball. The Chinook are hitting Reaper Magnum Glow spoons at first light and blue or green with silver back all day. The boat speed of 2.2 to 2.4 has been best. The faster speed triggered the Chinook action.

By Milwaukee Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Chinook Report 9/22/2016! Join us in Milwaukee! Hard fighting three year olds are still biting with plenty of Lake Trout. It’s a nice mixed bag of Chinook, Rainbows and Lake Trout. To get my fish reports and how to videos first go to http://www.jimhirt.com By subscribing you will keep ahead of the other anglers. When I post you will get it first!

How
West wind has pulled the warm water out and the fish are scattered. Let your locator tell you if the bait fish are around. Your reward will be a steady bite on all size and types of fish. Howie flies are my go to on the wires and Reaper or Vulcan spoons on 2,4,5 and 6 color lead core are taking the fish above 30 feet. The big three year old Chinooks are active every trip. The action and location has been from 50-130 feet of water. Chinooks went for regular size Vulcan spoons in silver or green/silver. Many Chinooks over ten pounds this week most averaged 8-13 pounds. White or green Howie’s flies also working well run behind a white flasher. The big Chinooks are active at all depths. Reapers and Vulcans made by http://www.badgertackle.com have been working for us. They have a Buy Four get one free special this season and free shipping. The small or magnum silver Vulcan in green or blue has also been good on the downriggers. Run them 50 feet behind the ball. Running all wire divers now with a 3.0 set at 115 feet of line out.

Lake Trout action is great they were hitting the Chinook tackle.

Brown Trout action was slow with reports of some being caught in the harbor on Magnum Reaper spoons.

Rainbow Trout were hitting Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver spoons in the top 20 feet.

Speed
For all fish speed has been at normal pace with the 50 degree water. The temp break to 50 is down 30 feet in 50 feet of water. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed and temp at the ball. The boat speed of 2.0 to 2.2 has been best.